Saturday, February 21, 2009

It may surprise you (but we doubt it) to find that "Friday Nights At The DeYoung" is not the easiest room for a rock band to play. It is , for all intents and purposes, a cocktail hour with culture. People are there to drink, see, and be seen. The room is well lit - it's a mueseum! It is not, by any stretch of the imagination, a club or bar. However, last night, despite the interminable background conversation, lengthy bar lines, children running about, and (inexplicably) vacant space between the audience and the stage, Lissy Trullie and her band managed to put on a kick ass rock show.

Given the super-tight arrangements on the record, we were sort of expecting a similar feel in the live setting, and the band didn't fail to disappoint. Trullie held down duties on rhythm guitar, while the band pounded away at the rock solid arrangements that we've grown to love over the last couple of weeks. The band did play a couple of songs not on the EP, and while the compositions were great, we will concede that the band felt a little looser on the newer material. We're guessing it'll firm up with time.

Despite the shortcomings of the venue, the band still managed to rope in the crowd - the tunes were unquestionably catchy and accessible, and by the end of the set Trullie had pulled about 90% of the room over to the stage. In fact, if there was anything that seemed uptight or restricted about the performance, it was Trullie herself. While the musical delivery was impeccable, Trullie's stage presence seemed slightly self conscious, and a bit stiff. Maybe it was the room, or maybe it was just the jitters, but it seemed like the spunk of rock and roll that comes across in her music and in her look just wasn't there in her person.

If you didn't get the gist at this point, we'll lay it out one more time: this just wasn't your typical rock show. The venue was odd, the crowd unusual, and a certain rock "vibe" was conspicuously absent. That being said, Trullie and her crew unquestionably validated our love of their record, and no doubt converted more than a bit of the audience as well. No doubt we're looking forward to the next time she's in town; but we'd be lying if we told you we're not hoping that show is in a club.